This invention relates to a universal orthopedic recuperative garment. More particularly, this invention relates to a universal orthopedic recuperative garment to be worn following corrective surgery or substantial trauma to a patient's shoulder, arm, wrist, or hand requiring temporary, recuperative immobilization.
Following reconstructive surgery on a shoulder, scapular arch, arm, wrist, or hand such as repairing a chronic dislocating shoulder, mild subluxations, tears and avulsions of the glenoid labrum, and tears of the rotator cuff, as well as after certain types of fractures of the arm and/or shoulder, it is necessary to place and support a damaged member in a relatively immobile posture during recuperation.
In the past, physicians have utilized expedient constructs such, as for example, slings made from a simple circular strap extending around a patient's neck and wrist. Such devices tended, however, to exert undue localized pressure upon a patient's neck and to a lesser degree the patient's wrist.
Localized pressure difficulties were alleviated, somewhat with the use of folded and shaped cloth slings. These improved load distributing devices, however, do not provide an opportunity to provide correct placement of a patient's arm following many operative procedures.
In addition to the above, numerous specialty slings have been envisioned. In each instance, however, they have exhibited one or more limitations such as being too specialized for a particular injury to be of general utility.
In addition to obviating limitations of the type described above it would be desirable to be able to support a patient's arm in a horizontal position across a patient's chest in a raised and rotated posture from the patient's shoulder.
The difficulties and limitations noted in the proceeding are not intended to be exhaustive but rather are among many which may tend to reduce the effectiveness and physician/patient satisfaction with prior arm support devices. Other noteworthy problems may exist; however, those presented above should be sufficient to demonstrate that arm support devices appearing in the past will admit to worthwhile improvement.